Air-inflatable objects are very commonly used for furniture, for transportation, for recreation and for amusement devices and toys. These objects include inflatable boats and rafts, air mattresses, inflatable swimming pools, inflatable chairs, flotation devices, inflatable dolls and animals, and a great many other devices. A variety of air pumps have been devised to assist the user in inflating these objects. These air pumps are generally hand operated, foot operated or electrically operated. The hand operated pumps are mostly variations on the familiar piston-type bicycle pump. Most of the foot operated pumps are bellows-type air pumps. The electrically operated pumps are generally piston or diaphragm pumps that operate on household current or connect to a car battery. Some inflatable objects have their own built-in air pump so that a separate air pump is not needed.
The inventor has found that these prior art pumps are not well suited for many applications because many inflatable objects require large volumes of low pressure air, and every one of the prior art pumps is designed to deliver small volumes of high pressure air. While these pumps are certainly easier to use than mouth-inflating a large inflatable object, the mismatch of the pumps to the task still leaves it a time consuming and tedious task. Even with an electric powered air pump, inflating a large air mattress or boat is a very slow process. Electric pumps also require you to be near an electric power source or battery which are not readily available in many situations, such as cramping and boating. This cuts down greatly on the convenience and portability of electric pumps. What is needed for many applications is a convenient and portable air pump that will quickly and easily deliver large volumes of low pressure air to quickly inflate a large object.